Encounters with a Shadow Man

About 20 years ago, I fell asleep in my daughter's bedroom while watching movies on her VCR. At around 4:00 AM, I found myself in that state that is between being asleep and awake. This is difficult to explain to those who have not had any such experience, but your mind is awake and aware, you can open your eyes, but the rest of your body is not able to move or react. On this particular morning, I perceived what looked to be the shadow of a man who was about seven feet tall. He was standing in the doorway watching me. My great grandma always said that if you encounter a spirit you should ask it, "What in the Name of the Lord do you want?" She said if it was evil, it would vanish.

That sounds all well and good, but during episodes of sleep paralysis, you are unable to speak out loud, so I closed my eyes and when I woke up for real, it was daylight and I saw nothing. There was no way to know for certain if I had actually encountered a shadow man, or it was a byproduct of night terrors. I could not prove if it were real, from my subconscious or a dream. My second encounter with a shadow person was quite different and I was very much awake.

It was the summer of 2012 and I was visiting a former neighbor in her home. She had gone into her bedroom to get me a flyer related to a church event, and I was standing in the hallway between her boudoir and another bedroom. Just as she was walking back in my direction on the left, I caught the glimpse of someone entering the other bedroom on my right. My friend gave me a look as if she was embarrassed and I thought perhaps she was surprised that her husband or son had not spoken to me. Later at home, I reassessed the situation and was stunned.

I recalled that there was no sound when whoever or whatever it was went into the bedroom. I heard no footsteps, the rustling of bed sheets, or any sound that a human would make walking and moving around in a house. I also realized that her husband or son would not have passed by that close to me without speaking. I had an odd feeling, so I called my brother who had lived with this woman once for a few months. I asked my sibling if he had experienced anything out of the ordinary while staying in that house and told him of my recent experience. His answer sent chills down my spine.

My brother said that while living in that house, he woke up one night to see a black shadow man looking at him. He told the homeowner who said that she often saw a black shadow following her and she believed that death was stalking her. I deduced from all of this that there was a spirit in that home and that is why I heard no sound when it passed by me into the bedroom. My best guess is that as my friend was handing me the flyer, she saw her uninvited guest and was embarrassed that I had seen it also.

I have another friend who lives on the West Coast and she says she sees shadow people on a regular basis. These are my only two encounters and I am not looking forward to more, but I deal with whatever comes my way each situation at a time. My friend whom my brother had lived with was fighting cancer at the time of this occurrence and died a few years later. Her husband left her shortly before she passed away and now the house just sits and no one lives in it. I wonder if the shadow man still abides there or if it has moved on to vex someone else.